TALKING POINT #7

Premise:

• black/white


• segregation


• Brown v. Board of Education


• stigma


• label


• 14th amendment

Argument:

Charles Lawrence argues that although the Brown v. Board of Education marked an end to segregation in schools, it has not ended racism in our society. Our country is denying these issues because we do not understand or act as if we do not understand the purpose of segregation.

Evidence:

" There is little doubt that psychological impact of Brown was the spark that ignited the spontaneous combustion of boycotts, sit-ins, voter-registration, marches, and political organizations that resulted in much significant change for blacks," (pg. 53).

"It is the thesis of this paper that the Brown decision fostered a way of thinking about segregation that has allowed both judiciary and society at large to deny the reality of race in America, that the recognition of that reality is critical to the framing of any meaningful remedy- judicial or political- and that Brown may ultimately be labeled a success only insofar as we are to make it stand for what it should have stood for in 1954," (pg. 54).

"segregation American-style....has only one purpose: to create and maintain a permanent lower class or sub caste defined as race," (pg. 54).

" ...segregation violated the equal protection clause because of its empirically demonstrated discrimination effect in the educational opportunity afforded blacks," (pg. 55).

" Once it is understood that segregation achieves its purpose by labeling blacks as inferior, it becomes clear that segregation is firmly entrenched when the label of inferiority is reflected in societal attitudes..." (pg. 58).

Comments:

I had a difficult time reading this article. The begining was interesting, with the purpose of segregation and its effects on black students. I agree with Lawrence, we need to realize the racism in our society today, and boycott it. The title of this article, "One More River to Cross," has many meanings. In the case of this article, Blacks have one more river to cross: The end of segregation in our society.